My stubborn sketch finally came to life with an unexpected layer combo

I was so close to throwing in the towel on this character illustration because the flat colors just weren't working, no matter how many palettes I tried. For days, every attempt to add depth made it look like a plastic toy instead of a living being, which was incredibly frustrating. In a last-ditch effort, I randomly duplicated my base layer and set it to multiply with reduced opacity, something I'd seen in a tutorial ages ago but never applied. Suddenly, the shadows had richness and the highlights popped without that harsh, digital feel! It was literally a two-minute adjustment that transformed the entire piece from amateur to something I'd happily share online. Now, I'm kicking myself for not experimenting with layer modes sooner out of sheer intimidation. This little win has completely refreshed my motivation and reminded me that sometimes the solution is simpler than it seems. I'm already planning to revisit old projects with this new trick up my sleeve!